The Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association (EEVFAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA) have demanded impartial investigation and a fair trial in connection with the killing of Mangboilal Lhouvum on the night of June 4.
In a joint release issued on Monday, EEVFAM and HRA stated that “the killing of Mangboilal is a clear case of extra judicial killing.”
EEVFAM and HRA urged the state government and the Centre to ensure that there is a prompt, thorough, effective and impartial investigation and a fair trial is carried out in a civilian court by respecting the verdict of the Supreme Court as well as the international human right standard.
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The release stated that it is despicable that such incidents have started re-occurring again after a gap of several years following the historic 2016 judgment of the Supreme Court of India.
EEVFAM and HRA also urged the present BJP government of Manipur, which came to power riding on the wave of the people’s struggle against the extrajudicial execution, to do everything within its capacity to halt extrajudicial execution becoming the horrifying trend once again.
EEVFAM and HRA see the unfortunate incident as a manifestation of the institutionalised impunity provided by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the release added.
Despite CBI/SIT investigation on extrajudicial executions have clearly established the direct involvement of several police and armed forces of the union personnel in the heinous crime, it is only the police personnel who are indicted and not even a single armed forces of the union, it added.
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The release further stated that even though extrajudicial execution, in no stretch of imagination, can be considered as being carried out in exercise of official duty, the armed forces are shielding themselves using the immunity provided by AFSPA.
It further stated that the Centre has also denied prosecution sanction in all the cases. Considering the vagueness of law in the matter, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West has referred the matter to the High Court of Manipur to clarify the legal position vide its order dated February 22, 2021, the release added.
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EEVFAM and HRA hope that the High Court of Manipur would expeditiously pass an appropriate order to fill up such legal lacuna in the interest of justice, it stated. If the legal system continues to allow murderers to go scot free, many more Mangboilal’s will continue to fall victim even as thousands of families continue to endlessly wait for justice from a slow moving judiciary, it added.
EEVFAM and HRA also shares the traumatic pain and anguish of the family members of MangboilalLouvum (29) of Lauvum Chalwa village, T Waichong sub-division of Kangpokpi District, Manipur, who was extra-judicially executed by Post Commander of 44 Assam Rifles Major Alok Sathe, and his team on the night of June 4, 2021, it added.
